Big Brother 13 - July 24 Nominations Show Blog Party

The show will be starting soon here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll update this entry with major happenings. However, the real fun will be down in the comments! Everyone is welcome to chat as the show airs. BYOB!

Luxury comp for all! No Have/Have Not this week. Celebrity -- the normal David Hasselhoff who will switch places with the show biz one. They have to correctly guess the celebrity. Jordan guessed it right on the first clue. No one else got it at all.

The prize is that she and three others will screen Same Name in HoH. She chose Jeff, Shelly and Kalia. Rachel is ticked. Too bad, so sad! Rachel and Brendon both fight. Then they both cry. @@ How old are these two?

Dominic tries wheeling and dealing with Brenchel. Daniele is pushing for a Jeff/Jordan nomination.

Time for nominations -- key order -- Jeff and Jordan, Kalia and Lawon.

Adam and Dominic are on the block again. Purely strategic ...

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - July 24, 2011

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken. If you're looking for BB13 news, check out the post before this one and (likely) the post after it later on today.

One good thing about having knee replacement surgery is that I'm not hiking back and forth to the train for work during this monstrous heatwave. I HATE sweating, especially when my forehead is sweating into my eyes and on my eyeglasses!

I only ventured outside the three days I had to this week -- follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Monday, physical therapy Tuesday and Friday. I wore my typical post-op using public transportation clothes, bulky gym shorts and a t-shirt, along with my sympathy crutch to get the buses to "kneel" and so folks let me sit. For my PT trips, I even wore a sweatband, something I really can't get away with commuting to work.

The kindnesses of strangers when you have a big shark bite surgical incision on your knee continues to surprise me. Two different people I don't know in my building have offered to carry my trash bag out to the Dumpster when they saw me. A woman who didn't speak English had her young daughter bring me a small bottle of water at a bus stop. At another bus stop, a car stopped to go into the bodega and the woman getting out asked if I needed anything.

But then there was the NJ Transit bus driver who not only didn't kneel the bus, he didn't even pull to the side at any of his stops! That was early on Tuesday morning. I won't schedule PT at that time again. I took my time getting on and off the bus. Oh, too bad he had to wait, eh?

My orthopedic surgeon is very pleased with my knee and its progress. I go back in four weeks ... well, three weeks and a day now. My physical therapy is going very well. He hasn't measured the bend since my first visit, so I asked him for the latest. 125 on my own! YES! It still wants to have its good days and bad days, but I know how bad things could be and I'm very happy.

I have another grocery delivery lined up from Peapod tomorrow. Fruit! Meats! Vegetables! Yes!

Here are the photos I've taken this week -- clicking on an image will open it larger in a new window, then hit your Back button on your browser to return to the blog:

Flowers in a fence

I always like man vs. nature themes. Flowers and fences fit the bill. This was on Maple Avenue in Bound Brook where most of the flower photos this week took place. There's a wild garden run amok with flowers right alongside the sidewalk.

Bee on a flower (part one)

Singular flower vs. fence

Flowers along wooden fence at the back of said garden

Pinks and yellows

Will be closed some days

Sign in a window on East Front Street in Plainfield.

JAWS!

Oh. He's friendly.

This is Barney, a dog I met in the park across from my PT in Scotch Plains.

Rainbow in the fountain

Scotch Plains

My physical therapy hangout

I edited this to leave only the flowers in color. Scotch Plains.

It was a rough chase, but I caught him!

Anyone have tree handcuffs? A Scotch Plains police officer stands by a fallen HUGE half a tree on Tuesday morning.

Bee butt

Nifty little plant

Bee on flower (part two)

Green sneaks

These were sitting in the parking lot of my apartment. They really didn't look too worn. I just don't know.

Catnapping

Vincent continues to enjoy me being home. Where I am, he is. It's like me and my shadow.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Through Saturday Evening 7/23

Are Porsche's duckies all in a row?
Probably not.

To recap things a bit -- Jordan, Jeff, Rachel and Brendon realize that Daniele is working with Dominic and Dominic's working everyone. Initially, when Rachel made the nominations, Adam was the target (provided the veto wasn't used). That seems to be changing despite all the pushing Daniele is doing to save Dominic. Then the veto comp (blocked to the feeds) went down. Brendon won it.

Here's what's been happening in that Big Brother house of Lame Ducks:

• The Veto comp was a spelling the longest word scenario, a bit similar to last year but with soap suds and more letters.
• Brendon spelled "understanding" once again.
• Rachel went into the comp wearing her contacts and was in misery with the soap in her eyes.
• I think the hamsters have a valid point that they should give them goggles.
• Jeff thinks he redeemed himself from his technotronics nightmare of the past.
• Rachel seems to have inhaled soap or something, too. She keeps coughing.
• Most of the hamsters napped but Shelly cleaned.
• Oh, sure ... I'd like her to come here and clean. But her constant cleaning and puttering around adjusting things would drive me up the wall.
• A lot of her excess energy is probably due to the long lockdown. They were locked down all day yesterday and then, after the comp, locked down again for the clean up of the yard.
• That translates to "no smoking."
  
• They think there will be another twist after the Golden Keys end this week.
• They're probably right.
• I probably won't like it.
• Jordan and Shelly had a long talk with Rachel (then with Brendon, too) about Daniele and Dominic.
• The tide seems to be shifting to a Dominic vote for the veterans. With Shelly they have enough votes to make a tie with Rachel being the tie-breaker.
• Will they make the smart move -- keep noms the same and get rid of Dominic instead of Adam? That would leave Daniele dangling and Dominic is more likely to win comps.
• Daniele has gotten way too sloppy in her strategy. While working with Dominic was a good move, she's TOO close to him and everyone knows.
• The other Danielle some seasons back knew better how to work a secret alliance!
  
• Daniele told Rachel that maybe Lawon should go.
• Grasping at straws there, girl.
• BB gave them alcohol again -- one bottle of wine and six beers. Exciting, eh?
• Daniele tried to work on Kalia, telling her that Shelly doesn't like her (Kalia).
• She thinks they can work together.
• More grasping, more straws.
• Kalia is actually a tough one to figure out, but I'm not so sure she's buying what Daniele's selling.
• Kalia told Daniele they need to lay low.
• That's about it. The Veto meeting won't be until Monday, but right now it looks like the nominations should remain the same with Dominic as the target.
• Anything could happen between now and then.
  

Ohhh ... something new to do!

Daniele and Dominic, perhaps not quite a dynamic duo.

OWWW! Brendon's knees are never going to heal in the house!
(So maybe he should go home!)

Established 1970 or long before ...

Big Brother 13 - PoV Comp Update 7/23

Brendon won Power of veto.

Big Brother 13 Live Feeds Update - Saturday Morning

Nah, this isn't a full-fledged report -- they haven't given me enough fodder! But there has been an interesting development I feel the need to mention.

In my last report or two, I mentioned how Daniele was pushing Brendon and Rachel for a Jeff/Jordan nomination or backdoor. Well, guess what? Brendon, Rachel, Jeff and Jordan all got together comparing notes. They know that Dominic has approached both couples for deals and that Daniele is probably more loyal to the newbies. Hmmm ...

Porsche was chosen to host the PoV comp. The comp is yet to happen and they're still all stuck inside.